Sometimes when I'm bored, I do some leisure activities to get me back to my lively and cheery self. If I'm not reading a book or listening to some songs on my phone's playlist, the next option is to visit a particular social media platform where I can watch some shorts or reels to pass time and humour myself.
Social media from its very inception was for the good of mankind. It was a means to bridge the gap between people separated by land and seas. I recall that back in the day, letters were once the means of communication and it took days before the posted letter gets to the recipient and more days for the recipient's reply letter to get to the sender.
Then the use of fax machines and telephones came about, but these were not easily accessible to the those of lower financial standing but this fact however was bridged by social media. From here in Western Africa, communication can be made with someone in other continents effortlessly. That's one beautiful side to social media.
Then there were advancements and social media grew from simple chatting to video calling, face timing and now, it is a global village of content creation that many are earning income from today. It is also a place for advanced learning without four walls, as you get to listen to educative instuctors from all over the world. Like I said, beautiful side of social media.
The ugly side of social media is the fact that cyber crimes exist and thrive on the platform, claiming so many victims in its wake. A lot of people have fallen victims to ponxy schemes, account hacks and identity theft all because social media is easily accessible and there is an anonymity factor that shields these so called criminals.
Another ugly side to social media is how so many people especially children and teens, get exposed to illicit and gory contents that they should not be exposed to at that age and time. Anyone can wake up one morning, take a nude pics and post it online without a care in the world about who would view it.
Social media and its impact on me
I believe in the power of choices because we are the choices we make. This mindset goes a long way in helping me decide how I view and use social media. Regardless of the numerous things available at my fingertips, I choose what to view and what to avoid. So far, social media has been and is still a source of enjoyment and education.
Enjoyment because I get to watch or read humorous contents and educational because I get to watch shorts and videos of good content creators whose sole aim is to impact. I cannot count how many food recipes I have learnt on #Youtube or how many scientific observations that have been made clearer by scientists using social media, a good example being crash course also on #Youtube.
screenshot from my phone
Connecting with friends and loved ones irrespective of where they are is made possible via WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and more. Instagram is for keeping up with entertainment and celebrity gists and Tiktok is for humour time.
The influence of social media depends on the choices we make. If we as users are intentional about what to view on these social media platforms, then the society at large will be influenced positively but if we view any random content simply because we have data, then the negative influence of social media will spread in our society and wreck havoc especially on our young ones.
Due to the fact that social media platforms are free and accessible, many people have turned it to their dumping site. So many dirty linens are aired publicly and also many irrelevant content are released on a daily basis. Like a two edged sword, social media has the power to uplift and it can also cause damages. It depends on the side being wielded.
Thank you all for reading. This is my entry to the #septemberinleo initiative for day 11.
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